Jewels are Forever
by Tsukiyama Koboyashi
Summary: “Trade? What kind of trade?” Kaede asked as she eyed her suspiciously. The demon slowly began to sit upright and replied: “The shards for her body. I want life. I will be Kagome and you will have the jewel shards.”
1. Chapter One: The Fox and the Hound

_**Jewels are Forever**_

Summary: "Trade? What kind of trade?" Kaede asked as she eyed her suspiciously. The demon slowly began to sit upright and replied: "The shards for her body. I want life. I will be Kagome and you will have the jewel shards."

Chapter One: The Fox and the Hound

InuYasha sat in his tree, just outside the village, gazing at the darkening sky as night drew nearer. Every sound jerked him about, ready with some scathing condemnation of Kagome's inability to keep a schedule; but each time it turned out to be just a wandering villager or a scavenging animal. "'I'll see you tomorrow afternoon!' Whatever! Like there's a test," InuYasha mumbled to himself, suppressing his urge to just go and drag her back. What could be more important than searching for the shards of the Shikon No Tama?

InuYasha started to scowl and glare at the retreating sun. "Feh! She's probably gossiping with her stupid friends!" And yet, he had a bad feeling that something was not right. Kagome arriving late from the future was never an unusual thing, but she had never been this late before. Except for the time when the ancient Noh mask had attacked resulting in Kagome sending her younger brother, Souta, into the well to bring him to save her. But that was different: She had not planned to return for another day at that time.

Hopping out of the tree, he took off for the Bone Eater's Well, deep in the forest where he had been a prisoner until Kagome had come and freed him, trying to save her and the villagers from Mistress Centipede. After that, it was the crow demon, then Yura of the Hair, then his own brother—demon after demon trying to gain possession of the shards of the Shikon No Tama, with InuYasha always having to save Kagome from some peril or another. Well, she could take care of herself sometimes. _Sometimes_—just _sometimes_—she was actually resourceful and hardly got in his way. Everything could have been so much simpler if she had just given him the jewel when he had asked for it in the first place. If she hadn't listened to that witch Kaede's advice and kept the jewel, then the crow demon wouldn't have stolen it, Kagome wouldn't have shot it with an arrow, and the jewel wouldn't be split into tiny fragments that were scattered all over Japan! Stupid girl! The jewel was his by right! Who exactly did she think she was, coming from the future and shattering the blasted thing? If her looks had not given it away, he would have believed her to be Kikyou reborn by her actions alone!

The prayer bead necklace swung around his neck as he landed outside the forest and stalked with great purpose and irritation inside, headed for the well that was Kagome's link between her time and his. The beads; if only they weren't a curse! No amount of brute force could remove them, and because of them, a single command from Kagome's lips left him face down in the dirt, unable to rise for a few moments. It was so humiliating! They were like a leash on a dog! And that command—"Oswari!" InuYasha fumed as he stalked through the trees, fists clenched tightly, and his teeth grinding. "She treats me like a common mutt!" Well, that was not entirely true. She didn't pet him, or feed him scraps, or try to make him do tricks, thought it would be nice to have his ears scratched every now and then. It was just the principle of the thing: A ridiculous mortal girl, who dresses oddly, shouldn't be allowed to have that much power over a demon! Especially not this—

"Kagome?"

All that he could see of her around the well was the lower part of her legs, with their usual strange stockings and ugly shoes. He couldn't see her large, yellow bag, but its contents were scattered about nearby, as if it had exploded when it hit the ground. InuYasha sniffed the air and his ears twisted around, but the only scent that came to him was Kagome's and the only sounds were ordinary forest noises. As he approached the well, more of Kagome became visible: No scratches or bruises, nothing that would give any indication that she had been in a struggle. She was on her stomach, arms flung over her head, one leg slightly bent, and her onyx hair covering her angelic face.

"Kagome?" He brushed her hair aside, relieved that her face showed no signs of abuse. He sniffed her on reflex, though he was not sure what information his nose was seeking. Shaking her didn't produce any kind of reaction at all, so he started to shake her more vigorously. Nothing; not even a flicker of an eyelid. He gently rolled her onto her back and lay his ear against her chest. Good; a heartbeat, thought it was disturbingly slow. A hand over her nose confirmed shallow breathing. This was not good. He studied the ground around the well and found signs that someone had entered the clearing from the forest and returned through it, rather than through the well, which meant feet other than Kagome's had crushed the grass. But if she had been attacked, why didn't her body show the sort of signs a struggle would have left behind? He averted his attention back to Kagome, who looked to the entire world as if she was merely having a nap beside the well.

Suddenly, InuYasha gasped and started sorting through Kagome's belongings that were strewn on the ground. Not there! He upended her pack and frantically went through the items that had fallen out: A hairbrush, packages of noodles, soap, clothing—where were they? The pockets sewn onto the pack were the next to fall under attack, but all InuYasha found there were Kagome's schoolbooks and odd-looking writing utensils. Whoever or whatever had been in the clearing with Kagome, they had stolen her shards of the Shikon No Tama. "Damn them!"

He hurriedly stuffed her things into her pack, slung it over his shoulder, then very carefully lifted Kagome into his arms and headed back for the village as fast as he could without jostling her. The missing shards indicated a demon. A mortal attacker probably would not have known what to look for and would have tried to—they would have hurt her, there would be marks on her, signs that she had fought someone and her clothes would be torn. Something! So, it had to be a demon, since a demon would be able to sense the shards. A demon would have powerful magic, maybe even the kind that could subdue an opponent without even touching them. Maybe Kagome was just under some sort of sleeping spell. Well, if that was magic, Kaede would be able to break the spell, and then Kagome would be able to tell him who had stolen the jewel shards. After that, it would be a simple matter of tracking down the thief and reclaiming what was his. And killing the demon, of course. Couldn't leave the competition running free, able to attack again some other time. Not to mention the matter of revenge.

By the time he had reached Kaede's hut, InuYasha was leading a parade of curious, worried villagers that no amount of snarling and cursing on his part could shake. His relief was immeasurable when at last the flap closed behind him and the only crazy human he had to endure was Kaede. The old woman unrolled a tatami, and bid InuYasha to lay Kagome down onto it, and then she covered the girl with a blanket and began her examination—both of Kagome and InuYasha.

"What happened?" Kaede demanded as she felt Kagome's forehead for a possible fever and checked her heart and breathing rates. She made a worried expression over the last two indicators of life and sat back on her heels with a deep frown.

"I found her by the well," InuYasha explained impatiently. "I don't know what happened to her!"

Myoga, the flea hopped up InuYasha's arm, onto his shoulder and observed: "No signs of a struggle. Was there any sign that anyone had been in the clearing with her?"

"Crushed grass in a trail to and from Kagome," InuYasha replied, "nothing more." Then with a low growl, he added solemnly: "They took her jewel shards."

"Meaning there was a demon, more likely or not," Kaede mused. She lay her hands on Kagome's face and closed her eyes in concentration, her extra senses searching the girl's body for signs of magic. With a sudden intake of breath, Kaede's eyes flew open and she jerked her hands away from Kagome. "No! How can this be?"

Disclaimer: InuYasha belongs to Takahashi Rumiko, as well as Ranma ½ and Maison Ikkoku.


	2. Chapter Two: Missing

_**Jewels are Forever**_

Summary: "Trade? What kind of trade?" Kaede asked as she eyed her suspiciously. The demon slowly began to sit upright and replied: "The shards for her body. I want life. I will be Kagome and you will have the jewel shards."

Chapter Two: Missing

The fear in Kaede's expression made InuYasha's heart skip a beat. "What?" he demanded. "What is it? What's wrong with her? Talk to me, hag! What do you sense? Magic?"

Kaede nodded, recovering somewhat from the initial shock of the discovery. She tucked the blanket more closely around Kagome and softly stroked her ebony hair. "Strong magic, very strong. And something far worse." She looked into InuYasha's golden pools, holding the usually impatient hanyou's attention better than even the jewel ever did as he waited to hear what had been done to Kagome that could possibly be far worse than magic. Myoga hopped from InuYasha's shoulder to Kagome's, then Kaede's.

"Tell us, Kaede-sama," he said hesitantly, unsure if he really wanted to hear what was coming. "Whatever it is, InuYasha-sama can set it right! D—don't look so frightened!"

A few months ago, Kaede would not have found that in any way reassuring, but things had changed between InuYasha and this girl who was the reincarnation of the woman who had slain him with an enchanted arrow. He still called her "fool" sometimes, swore she was a curse on his very existence, or that he would be glad when he could finally be free of her, but Kaede was not fooled. The hanyou's body spoke volumes right now: Muscles tense, knuckles white on balled fists, ears pricked eagerly forward, eyes wide and full of worry and fear. And that time Kagome had forced him back through the well and left him alone for an entire week…he had almost lost his mind waiting and watching for her return. Kaede knew the beginnings of love when she saw them, and the irony of InuYasha and Kagome's relationship did not escape her either. Kikyou would have called it "closure", events one tragic coming around again for a happing ending.

Well, there would be no happy ending if Myoga's faith in his master's ability to "set it right" what was wrong with Kagome was misplaced. Kaede closed her eyes and sighed heavily. When she reopened them, she said: Her soul is missing."

It took a few moments for that to sink in with InuYasha and Myoga. When they recovered, their protests came out in a tumble of disbelief. "How is that possible?" InuYasha sputtered at the same time Myoga asked: "What kind of demon can steal a young girl's soul?"

Kaede shook her head. "None that I have heard of," she admitted slowly. "I had hoped one of you might have a clue…"

InuYasha racked his brain but it was of no use: He had never heard of a demon that was capable of stealing souls. Not one that was alive anyway. He and Kagome disposed of the toad demon and beyond that one, he was at a loss to think of another. Myoga was not doing and better either.

Kaede sighed heavily once again. "Then we're dealing with a new demon—"

"New or old, makes no difference to me!" InuYasha cracked his knuckles and showed his fangs in a dangerous grin. "They can still die." He nodded towards Kagome's unconscious form. "Watch over her, old hag, and leave the demon slaying to me."

As he stood to depart, Myoga jumped back up his shoulder. "I will accompany you, InuYasha-sama. Kaede-sama, take care of Kagome-san until our return!"

"She hasn't much time," Kaede said grimly. "A human can only survive so long with their soul."

InuYasha knelt down beside Kagome again. Her face was pale, but peaceful and relaxed, as if she was only sleeping. She did not have the look of a dying woman to him, and he had killed enough humans to know what they looked like as they lay dying. True, he had never sat deathwatch for an ailing human, but death is death. Is it not? He resisted the desire to touch her cheek to see if it had grown cold or not. Myoga, for one would certainly misinterpret that gesture, then he would have to listen to the little coward nag him about his supposed affection for Kagome. If anyone had affection for the girl, it was Myoga, not him.

"How long?" he asked Kaede anxiously.

She merely shrugged. "I am not sure, but I don't believe that she can past three days without her soul. You had better hurry."

InuYasha snarled: "Of course we'd better hurry, witch!" He turned to leave once more, and got as far as the door before he paused to glance over his shoulder for one last look at Kagome. The glance lasted only a moment, then he was through the door and gone into the night, headed back toward the forest to find that trail the thief had left by the well. Three days at the most, then Kagome would die. InuYasha repeated that thought to himself several times, trying to imagine questing for the jewel shards without his odd companion. It would just be him and Myoga, then, if one could count the flea who cowered in fear whenever danger loomed near. At least Kagome stayed to fight at his side, nearly as fearless as he was, or perhaps just stubborn.

In his mind he saw her standing on a grassy hill, amidst Yura's web of hair, bow in hand, his cloak around her shoulders, her face set in a look of absolute confidence that she would win that fight. The she had loosed the bow and shattered Yura's nest. Then he saw her facing down Sesshoumaru with the Tetsusaiga clenched tightly in her ivory hands, not caring that the elder brother of InuYasha was a full demon who saw her kind as ants to be trodden underfoot. Her eyes when she had handed him his father's sword…believing beyond question that he would find the key to unlock the power of the Steel Cleaving Fang and destroy his cruel brother.

He flexed his claws, anticipating rending the flesh of the demon who had stolen the shards of the Shikon No Tama…and Kagome's soul with them. Failure was unthinkable: He would find this demon-thief and reclaim the shards, then destroy the creature for daring to harm his—his—Feh! She was nothing to him, just a strange girl who wore the face of the woman who had killed him and taken what was rightfully his. A girl who had bound him to herself with a collar of prayer beads and who humiliated him at will with the command "Oswari!". It hurt when she did that, having his face slammed into the dirt. She pushed him around, always telling him where he should be and when. Ha! Until she needed rescuing! Then it was, "InuYasha, help me! InuYasha, I need you! InuYasha, do something!" As if he was a servant at her beck and call!

"InuYasha-sama," Myoga said in his ear as they flew over the village fields, heading at top speed for the deep shadows of the forest. "I just had a terrible thought: How will we reclaim Kagome's soul and return to her once we've found this demon?"

"It will return to her when the demon dies, of course!" Even as he said this, InuYasha had doubts about that assertion. What if Kagome's soul perished with the demon? No! He would not think like that! If simply killing the demon was not the answer, then he would find the way while he fought the creature. He always did! He did not even finish that thought before he realized it was usually Kagome who did the figuring out. It was her mind that was creative, her eyes that say past the obvious. Well, then, he would simply have to think creatively.

Disclaimer: InuYasha belongs to Takahashi Rumiko, as well as Ranma ½ and Maison Ikkoku.


	3. Chapter Three: Clues

_**Jewels are Forever**_

Summary: "Trade? What kind of trade?" Kaede asked as she eyed her suspiciously. The demon slowly began to sit upright and replied: "The shards for her body. I want like. I will be Kagome and you will have the jewel shards."

Chapter Three: Clues

They arrived at the well to discover that someone had beaten them to the crime scene. A little brown fox sniffed the grass all around the well and had started down the thief's trail when it noticed InuYasha and froze. Golden light surrounded the beast, swirling round and round while the shape inside it grew slightly. When the light disappeared, a little boy with fox ears, bushy tail, and delicate hind feet and claws stood before them. It took InuYasha and Myoga all of half a second to recognize him.

Myoga jumped onto the boy's shoulder and asked excitedly: "Shippou! What are you doing here?"

InuYasha strode over and picked up the young kitsune by his fluffy tail and held him at eye level. "Yes, whelp, what are you doing sniffing around here? Returning to the scene of the crime?"

Shippou wrinkled his nose at the larger demon, but made no attempt to escape. He had learned long ago how futile that was, so he just let himself be dangled. "What are you babbling about, InuYasha? I was looking for Kagome! She always comes out of this well, does she not?"

InuYasha narrowed his golden eyes at his captive. "And how would you know that?"

"You, idiot!" Shippou snapped. "Her scent is all over this clearing and the well! Furthermore," he added nonchalantly, hoping to hit a sore spot with his tormentor, "she told me this is how she gets from her time to ours. I've spent a lot in her company, you know. She scratched me behind the ears while she tells me stories about her home. It feels so goo—hey! Stop shaking me! That hurts!"

Scratches him behind the ears, does she? Tells the brat stories? Spends a lot of time in his company? "And when does she spend time in your company, kid?"

"Jealous?"

By way of response, InuYasha lobbed the irritating kitsune into a tree, where he just barely managed to catch hold of a branch which he clung while cursing InuYasha to every horrible malady he could think of. Fox spirit curses were powerful things, and InuYasha was quick to stop his tirade before it went too far, and he wound up with the mange. "I don't have time for you foolish talk, whelp!" he snarled. "Your precious ear-scratching Kagome lies dying from a demon-spell cast upon her as she came out of that well! You were sniffing around here," he added suspiciously, "why? Did you think that Kagome was hiding behind a blade of grass?"

Shippou dropped from his branch to a lower one, then to a still lower one, and then shinnied down the tree trunk to the ground. He brushed himself off while favoring InuYasha with a look that could curdle milk. "I smelly the demon you spoke of," he pointed to the trail of crushed grass, visible only to his and InuYasha's keen canine eyes, "there, in the grass. The trail goes that way, if you think you're brave enough to follow it with me!"

Myoga, who had survived Shippou's flight into the tree and down again, tried to talk some sense into the young boy. "Shippou, I really don't think that was a wise thing to sa—aaay! Whoa! InuYasha Sama put him down this instant! I beg of you!"

"And who are you to speak of courage, you worthless little mutt?" InuYasha shook Shippou by the tail, dislodging Myoga who fluttered to the ground by his master's foot. The foot almost stomped on hi, so the flea retreated to the relative safety of InuYasha's shoulder.

"InuYasha—"

"Silence!" Accuse him of cowardice? This flea-bitten trickster who—InuYasha let go of Shippou's tail abruptly. The boy was annoying and tricky, but he had guts, and they didn't have time to stand around and argue. Even if the brat drove him crazy with his kitsune tricks and foolish tongue, Shippou was fond of Kagome and he had a sharp nose.

InuYasha turned on his heel and started off along the thief's trail. "Make yourself useful, kid, and sniff out this trail for me, or you'll never get your ears scratched again."

Shippou hesitated long enough to master his rage and wounded pride, then galloped ahead of InuYasha and started sniffing. _Just think about Kagome _he coached himself, _Kagome_. He paused in mid-sniff. "Is she really dying?"

"Don't stop," InuYasha ordered, then continued with: "That's what the old witch Kaede says: The demon who stole her jewel shards also took Kagome's soul."

"What? The shards too?"

InuYasha pushed the boy's nose back into the grass with his foot. "Don't dawdle!"

The trio went for a long time like that: Shippou and his nose in the lead, InuYasha scanning the trees for danger with eyes and ears, and Myoga on his master's shoulder providing an endless stream of worried words and defeatist questions. "But how will we return her soul, InuYasha Sama? And what if we can't find this demon? I don't think I've ever been to a human funeral. Do you think we should bury her here, or take her back to her own time for—"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?" InuYasha and Shippou shouted in unison. InuYasha pinned the flea between his thumb and forefinger and squished him. Tossing Myoga over his shoulder, he growled: "We'll let you know when the danger is past. Let's go, pup."

Myoga sputtered his outrage as the other two demons strode off though the foliage with so much as a look back to see if he was following. He primly straightened his hakama and haori and headed off after them. "That was completely uncalled for! Your noble father valued my wise advice, InuYasha Sama, and you would do well to follow his example!"

They reached the edge of the forest and found themselves on the outskirts of a small village. Fields fallow for the winter months stretched between them and the collection of houses that huddled around a well at the center of a large open space. One or two windows still had lights in them, but for the most part the villagers slept. Shippou bent his nose to the ground again and followed the trail along a path that led between the fields to the village, InuYasha on his heels. Myoga rode on his master's should once more, wisely keeping his nagging questions to himself for this time. It was a rather cold night, though Myoga was sure he was the only one of the trio who was uncomfortable: Shippou had his fur and InuYasha rarely seemed to notice the climate, hot or cold. It was nice and warm under the collar of the demon's haori, so Myoga snuggled in there for the journey to the village.

InuYasha's ears twitched nervously. There was something very wrong about this village. As they drew close enough to hear the villagers behind the lighted windows, Shippou stopped sniffing and stood up to listen. He turned to InuYasha, whose gaze was fixed on the houses ahead of them, his ears cocked forward, listening intently. "Keep moving," the bigger demon ordered, matching actions to words.

Shippou hurried to keep up. "Do you hear that?" he asked with a nervous quiver in his voice. "Weeping."

As they approached, lights came up in another house, then another until the entire village was awake and filled with the sounds of grieving. InuYasha jumped onto the roof of the first house they came upon while Shippou snuck through the shadows until he was below a window. Myoga, who was too small to be noticed by the anguished mortals inside, hopped through the window and hid behind the leg of a low table near the three humans who lived in the house. The center of attention was a girl on a futon, who appeared to be sleeping. To either side of her, two adults wept. Occasionally, one would shake the girl's shoulder, or pat her hand, then, failing to wake her, they'd weep even louder.

A commotion arose outside, sending InuYasha and Shippou deeper into shadow. A young boy ran past Shippou's hiding place, followed closely by an older woman. The pair entered the house, just as a shout went up from a man by the well, who begged the old woman to come to his house and help his ailing daughter. His pleas were soon joined by those of other frightened parents and siblings, who ran out of the houses, calling for the Lady Akane to come quickly. InuYasha assumed "Akane Sama" was the old woman, who was probably this village's equivalent to Kaede. It wasn't long before a crowd of weeping villagers had gathered outside the door of the first house, those closest peering inside to hear the old woman's diagnosis. The crying inside the house grew louder, and then Akane emerged and held up her hands for silence.

"What ails the girls," the old woman pronounced, "is sorcery! Their souls have been stolen by some kind of demon!"

Shippou took that as his cue to retreat to the back side of the houses where none of the villagers were. On the roof, InuYasha had the same idea. They were shortly joined by Myoga who confirmed that the girl in the house, and probably the other young ladies of the village, were victims of the same demon who had attacked Kagome.

"We know it was here," InuYasha said, casting a cautious glance around the corner of the house to make sure no one was headed his way, "but how long ago? And where did it go, if it has even left this village at all?"

Myoga crawled back into InuYasha's haori as he replied: "If only there was a way we could question them without being blamed for these people's poor girls' enchantment!"

Shippou slumped against the wall in despair. He listened to the villagers bemoan they're women's fate, but not one of them mentioned seeing anything out of the ordinary before the girls were stricken. Useless! Perhaps he could use illusion, appear to be another farmer? Feh! That wouldn't work! Humans were always suspicious of strangers! "Oh, Kagome, what'll I do?"

He didn't realize he had said that aloud until InuYasha hoisted him up by the tail again and sneered in his face: "'Oh, Kagome, what'll I do'? Just how much time do you two spend together that you call her by her name when you're in trouble, whelp?"

Shippou gulped. "You want to play the jealous boyfriend now?"

Buh—boyfriend?" InuYasha sputtered. "Where do you get—"

"InuYasha Sama!"

"—that I'm her boyfriend?"

"InuYasha Sama!" Myoga hopped up and down on his master's shoulder and pointed frantically back the way they came.

InuYasha ignored him. Shippou struggled in his grasp and pointed over the bigger demon's shoulder. "InuYasha! We have to get out of here!"

"Eh?" InuYasha turned around and abruptly dropped Shippou, who hit the ground running. A small army of angry farmers was quickly closing the distance between themselves and the—

"DEMONS! Kill them!"

Disclaimer: InuYasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi as well as Ranma ½ and Maison Ikkoku.

Author's Note: Sorry that it took me forever to update! But answering the question of Sango and Miroku: I never intended to have them in this fanfic but they might make a future appearance…I don't know. But chances are, probably not.


	4. Chapter Four: Playing with Dolls

_**Jewels are Forever**_

Summary: "Trade? What kind of trade?" Kaede asked as she eyed her suspiciously. The demon slowly began to sit upright and replied: "The shards for her body. I want life. I will be Kagome and you will have the jewel shards."

Chapter Four: Playing with Dolls

InuYasha took to the air, landing only once to collect Shippou. Behind them, the angry mob waved deadly looking farm implements and demanded the fleeing demons' blood, along with several other body parts, the loss of which would have resulted in a very painful death. The demons didn't stop running until they came to an abandoned shed by a stream and ducked inside. As they sat panting on the dirt floor, Myoga asked: "I don't suppose you kept track of the trail we were following, Shippou?"

The kitsune's jaw dropped. "He was carrying me—and flying! What do you think! Ahhh!"

InuYasha hoisted him by the tail once more to glare at the boy, nose to nose. "You've lost the trail?"

Shippou crossed his arms and gave InuYasha and indignant snort. "Well, that's not my fault, now is it? If you hadn't picked me, maybe I could've still followed it!"

"If I hadn't picked you up," InuYasha reminded him with a menacing growl, "your hide would be on a wall hanging right about now!"

"Idiot," Shippou muttered under his breath, earning him another violent shake.

InuYasha threw him at the doorway. Shippou skidded in the dirt, and then tumbled out the door, coming to rest upside down against a tree. "Find it!" InuYasha commanded, but Shippou had had enough.

"Find it yourself!" the fox snarled as he righted himself. With an angry fluff of his tail, Shippou put his nose in the air and stomped away.

Back in the shack, InuYasha fumed as he watched the boy's silhouette disappear over a hill. _Stupid kid! Who needs him? _InuYasha told himself. The little fox would only get in his way. Soon he could no loner see Shippou though he could sense him, just as he could feel any other demon's presence when they were nearby. Did that mean his quarry was not near? He only sensed himself, Myoga and Shippou. They must have fled in a direction other than the one the demon had taken. InuYasha cursed his own foolishness for running away instead of putting his quest first. Kagome only had a few days to live, three at the most! He could have fought the whole lynch mob and easily defeated them, then gotten on with more important things. Instead, he had run away from an easy battle and had lost the soul-thief's trail. He close his eyes and clenched his fists tightly. Not only didn't he sense any demons other than his companions, he didn't feel the jewel, either. They had obviously run in the wrong direction, but back tracking would mean an encounter with the furious villagers.

InuYasha sighed: If he killed those people, Kagome would never forgive him. The thought of fighting humans sent his hand instinctively to hilt of his Tetsusaiga, his father's Steel Cleaving Fang, and his thoughts to the day when he and Kagome had followed his brother into the black pearl where his father's grave was hidden. Kagome alone had been able to draw the sword from its resting place, after the mighty Sesshoumaru and InuYasha himself had failed to so much budge the thing. What good was the blade to him now? It couldn't bring back Kagome's soul or tell him where to look for the demon who had stolen it, along with the shards of the Shikon no Tama.

Myoga decided to throw caution to the wind and suggested his master go after Shippou, who had, after all, been very helpful. "And you really can't expect him to follow a scent from the air! You must learn to control your temper, InuYasha Sama! And to be reasonable!"

For which sentiments, InuYasha squished him, but he left the hut in pursuit of the offended kitsune, anyway.

It didn't take InuYasha and Myoga long to catch up to Shippou, who, as it turned out, had rediscovered the trail. Or more correctly, the one who had made the trail had discovered Shippou. InuYasha crested a small hill in time to see the little fox spirit slam against a tree with a painful gasp, then drop to the earth where he lay, unmoving, while a small woman in and elaborate kimono crept toward him, giggling. Not a happy, pleasant giggle that inspired good feelings in the demons hearing it, but a cruel, hungry giggle that gave even InuYasha a chill.

"Woman!" InuYasha shouted.

She paused in her stalking of the unconscious Shippou and turned her head to see who had hailed her. Her movement was stiff and deliberate, almost jerky. Her hair was jet black and she had beautiful dark brown eyes set in an ivory face. Those lovely eyes didn't blink as she stared at her challenger and showed no emotion at all.

Sparkles at the base of her throat caught InuYasha's eye: A dozen slivers of the Shikon Jewel imbedded in her skin. "The jewel!" he gasped, just as Shippou moaned, drawing her attention back to her prey.

Myoga clung to a bead near InuYasha's neck and watched the strange woman approach the helpless kitsune. "A demon! Stop her, InuYasha Sa—WHOA!"

"Pick on someone your own size!" InuYasha charged down the hill, meaning to tackle her, but in a ripple of movement, she was behind him. A surprisingly strong hand slapped him between the shoulders, and to his complete astonishment, InuYasha tumbled across the grass and up the next hill.

He jumped to his feet with a raging snarl: "No kidding, she's a demon! And she has Kagome's jewel shards!"

"And probably her soul, as well," Myoga finished in a trembling voice while clinging for dear life to his chosen prayer bead.

InuYasha cracked his knuckles and watched the demon-woman as she turned in her weird way to face him. Too-white skin, eyes that didn't blink, and her tiny unmoving red mouth seemed painted on her face. Shippou came to and started shaking the cobwebs out of his head. The demon paused, and her headwhipped Shippou's way, then jerked back to InuYasha.

Shippou recovered enough to get up on his feet and make a dash for InuYasha's position on high ground, but another ripple, and the creature pinned him under a delicate, sandaled foot. "InuYasha! Help me! She's the one! Ugh!"

The demon put her weight onto Shippou's back, and he cried out in agony as it threatened to break. "I will kill him," the demon said in a voice that was jerky as her movements hen she turned her head to address InuYasha. "You will not attack."

"Won't I?" InuYasha charged the demon again, but she back flipped out of the way, somehow scooping up Shippou with her feet and carrying him with her, and landed square on his back.

There was a stomach-turning crack, a blood curdling scream, and then Shippou fainted on the spot. The demon hopped off his back and turned once again to InuYasha.

"Dead. Now you will leave."

Disclaimer: InuYasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, as well as Ranma ½ and Maison Ikkoku.

Author's Note: I do dislike Kagome greatly, but somehow she ends up in my fanfics. I must say her and InuYasha are and "okay" paring. Not the best, not the worst, just "okay".


End file.
